“It feels great to get a finish like this,” Tucker said. “It’s a fast race, and I just put my head down and went for it. I’m glad it worked out.”

In women’s 800m free, three swimmers battled back and forth until Gillian Ryan (Kutztown, Pa.) broke away in the last 50m, taking the top spot with a time of 8:25.57. Sarah Henry (Garner, N.C.), who led at the 750m mark, finished second in 8:26.39. Haley Anderson (Granite Bay, Calif.), who’s fresh off a gold medal in the 5k at Open Water World Championships last week, placed third with a 8:29.71.

“I’m really happy with the win and also glad that I was able to put together a best time,” Ryan said. “This is a great way to end the season and gives me some good goals going into next year.”

In men’s 1,500m, Zane Growthe (Boulder City, Nev.), who swam in one of the earlier heats this afternoon, took home the title in 15:13.39, nearly 16 seconds better than his previous personal best.

“When it comes to the mile, you have to swim your own race so [swimming earlier in the day] didn’t really bother me,” said Growthe. “I’m very happy about my swim today. I’ve been waiting a really long time for a good time drop like that so I’m very proud of myself.”

Australia’s Matthew Levings took second, clocking a 15:14.48, and Arthur Frayler (Ambler, Pa.) stopped the clock at 14:14.92 for third.

In the women’s 200m butterfly, 15-year-old Tilly Gray of Great Britain took home the title in 2:09.83. Lauren Herrington (Memphis, Tenn.) and Canadian Brenna Maclean touched in 2:10.32 and 2:10.39, respectively.

In the men’s 200m fly, the South African duo of Sebastian Rousseau and Dylan Bosch finished one-two. Rousseau finished first in 1:55.64, followed by Bosch’s time of 1:57.28. Bobby Bollier (Mission Hills, Kan.) who finished third with a time of 1:57.32.

In the women’s 100m free, Australia’s Yolane Kukla and Kelly Stubbins took first and second in 54.87 and 55.26, respectively. Kukla, who helped Australia to a gold medal in the 4x100 free relay at the London Games, led the race from start to finish. Two-time Olympian Amanda Weir (Atlanta, Ga.) touched third in 55.27.

The U.S. Open will continue at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center through Saturday, Aug. 3 and will be followed by the Speedo Junior National Championships from Aug 5-9. The meet can be watched live on www.usaswimming.org or through Deck Pass Plus, the official mobile application of USA Swimming.